PS I Love You
by kateflowrchild13
Summary: Inspired by Trench's GREAT fic Hold On To Your Stars. She was kind enough to let me use her ideas. Leo's in the military (w/ Percy and Jason. Trench's story explains it all) and this is about Leo and an OC in an AU. Fluffy. Leo and his girlfriend Ruby weather the storms of his deployment. Leo leaves behind letters for Ruby each day he's gone, telling their story through memories.
1. Chapter 1

At 2 am, the phone rings.

Ruby bolts upright, stretching across the bed, reaching for the phone. She hasn't slept all night, too afraid she will miss the call. Her book slides off her lap and flops on the floor, pages fluttering, but she doesn't care. All that matters is the person on the other end of the line.

She jams the 'accept call' button. "Hello?" She croaks out, voice ragged from sleep deprivation.

"Babe? Estás bien?"

She smiles at the sound of his voice, used to the ever-present Spanish. Half their conversations are in Spanish. That's what she gets for dating a Hispanic guy.

"Yeah, yeah. Estoy bien. I just couldn't wait to talk to you."

"It's two am over there, isn't it?"

She pauses. "Maybe."

"Have you gotten ANY sleep?"

"No. I didn't want to miss the call."

Ruby hears his faint chuckle. "Oh geez. I'm sorry for keeping you up this late, then."

"Don't be! It's worth it to hear your voice."

She can hear the smile in his voice. "You too. But next time, get some sleep."

Ruby huffs. "Whatever. You're not my mother."

"Yeah, yeah. So. Qué haces? Whatcha doing?"

"Well, right now I'm laying on your side of the bed, wearing one of your old t-shirts." Ruby feels a blush color her face, embarrassed to admit this to Leo. Sure, they may have been together for two and a half years, but she always acts like a child when he leaves. First crying, then sulking, then bitterly missing him, using anything of his for comfort. His absence is barely tolerable even if she can surround herself with the familiar, comforting sensation of him.

Leo laughs. "You miss me that much, huh?"

"Shut up. It was either this or locking you in the closet until after your plane departed." Ruby sits up, book still forgotten on the floor. "You suck. Come home."

She knows that he knows she is teasing him, but his voice still sobers. "I wish I could, baby. Tell me about Boston. How's it been?"

Ruby sighs. "Same old. You know Mrs. Tucker? She lost her cat for the fifth time this week. They found it under her bed. And the Pollard boys were setting fireworks off in the back alleyway again. Little dipshits."

She does this every time he calls. Rambles about her mundane life, knowing that Leo needs to hear it, all of it. "I finished two books yesterday." She hears a snort. Leo always finds it funny that she finishes books within hours of buying them. "They were really good. I think you might like them." She pauses. He hasn't said anything. "You still there?"

"Yeah." His voice crackles through the receiver. "Just happy to hear you."

"I'm happy to hear you too. Oh! This new movie came out yesterday. I think you'd like it. It's about four magicians who pull of this insane heist. We can rent it when you get back." Only 83 more days. She always marks each day off in her calendar before going to bed.

"I'd like that." Leo pauses. "Hey, Ruby? Can you-"

Ruby smiles, already knowing what he's going to say and interrupts him with ease. "Of course."

She flings off the bedcovers and grabs her ukulele from the corner, settling back into bed again, putting the phone on speaker.

"Would you sing for me?" Leo asks.

She strums the ukulele in reply. "What song?"

"Surprise me. I just love hearing you sing."

Ruby knows the perfect song. She strums chords, and begins singing. "Dear I though I'd drop a line... The weathers cool, the folks are fine. I'm in bed each night at nine. P.S. I love you..."

She sings the whole song and plucks the last few notes, letting them fade away into the air. This song is their song; Ruby sings it to him every chance she gets.

Leo exhales over the phone. "Thank you, Ruby. I needed that."

"Anything for my Leo. You okay, babe? You sound stressed."

"I'm fine. Just the usual, I guess."

"Did something happen?" Her anxiety ratchets up a few notches.

"Not necessarily..." he trails off.

Ruby waits for him to continue, checking the clock. 2:15. She only has 15 minutes left, and then he has to go. She gets a little more nervous.

"Leo?" She asks hesitantly. "You okay?"

"Um. Yeah. I'm okay. I just... Just..." He stops, takes a breath. "It's been a rough week."

Ruby hears a faint thump, like he's sat down on his bed or something.

"Want to talk about it? Or I could sing some more?" She knows he needs it. He loves it when she sings to him, saying it reminds him of home, reminds him of her.

Leo sighs. "I'm going to bed now, so..."

She smiles. "A lullaby it is."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Ruby asks, confused.

"How do you always know what to do to make me feel better?"

She smiles. "I'm your girlfriend, silly. It's my job."

She hops out of bed and carries the phone through the dark apartment to the upright piano they have in the living room.

Phone still on speaker, she props it up against the music stand. She plays Brahms Lullaby, softly, thankful that Mrs. Tucker next door is a heavy sleeper. But then again, she's done this too many times to care if Mrs. Tucker wakes up at all.

"Lullaby, and good night..."

When the song ends, she sits there, not saying anything and neither does he.

"You're amazing." Leo's voice rattles through the phone.

Ruby smiles, pressing the phone back to her ear. "I'm not the one who's deployed overseas. YOU'RE the amazing one."

She checks the clock on the phone's dash. 2:28.

"I only have two more minutes." Leo says as if he's read her mind.

"Don't remind me." Ruby sighs, trudging back to bed and flopping down, picking up the discarded book.

"Yeah. Well. I love you."

"I love you too. Don't do anything stupid."

"You're talking to me. Of course I'm going to do something stupid."

Ruby smiles. This is another ritual they follow. "Just do your job, Valdez, and come home to me soon."

"Will do. I miss mi joya." His gem. "I love you, Ruby."

"I miss you too. And I love you."

"Until next call."

"I'll be waiting."

The line goes dead and Ruby heaves a sigh, burying her face into his pillow, relishing in the scent of him. Another week until she can hear his voice again. She doesn't know how she'll be able to get through it, even though she's done it before.

She falls asleep like that, his pillow pressed against her face, the phone still clutched in her hand.

She remembers watching him pack, the first time he ever left. She was curled into a ball on their bed, switching between heavy sighing and disgruntled glaring.

His stuff was strewn about the room; clothes spilling out of the dresser, towel slung over the TV, tool belt on the bed.

He took his tool belt wherever he went. He swore it was trustier than any backpack and had more features than a Swiss Army knife.

Ruby had pulled it towards her, absently running her fingers over the pocket seams. When Leo's back was turned, she tucked a letter inside the front pocket, knowing that he would eventually lose something and that pocket was the first place he would look. The letter read:

_Dear,_

_I thought I'd drop a line, the weathers cool, the folks are fine. I'm in bed each night at nine._

_Want to hear the rest? I thought you might. Give me a call when you can and I'll sing it for you. Trust me. It's the perfect song for us._

_You suck. Come home._

_-Ruby _

_P.S._

_I love you._

She was surprised to find something in there already; she eased out a photograph, and upon inspection, realized it was of her the day they met. In the photo, she's sitting in the prow of a ski boat, eyes closed, wind whipping her hair back. A book sits on her lap and smile graces her lips.

"That's my favorite picture of you," a voice had whispered in her ear. Ruby jerked her head around, face inches from Leo's. "I took that the day we met."

She laughed, feeling a blush color her cheeks. "Yeah, and then you pushed Percy out of the boat."

Leo collapsed onto the bed next to her, their heads close together. "Well he was practically half fish anyways. He could swim. Jason and Piper thought it was funny."

"Yeah, but Annabeth was _pissed_."

Leo shrugged. "I was only paying him back for dragging me on that trip."

Ruby fakes being insulted. "Meeting me was that awful, huh?"

Ruby had been long time friends with Annabeth, the girlfriend of Percy, one of Leo's comrades. They had brought Ruby up to Percy's lake house for a weekend, with another of Percy's comrades, Jason, and Jason's girlfriend Piper, another friend of Ruby's. Leo had come as well.

"Nah, you were alright." Leo grinned. "You sure messed up my fifth wheel mojo, though."

Ruby laughed. "I couldn't have. There needed to be some _mojo_, as you put it, there in the first place."

"Hey! Hurtful!" He snagged a pillow and swatted her with it.

Shrieking, Ruby tried to wiggle away, but he threw an arm around her and rolled on top of her, pinning her to the bed. "No fair! You're stronger!" Ruby grinned, then shrieked again as Leo had started to tickle her. "Let me go!"

"It'll cost you." Leo jabbed her in the ribs. "One kiss."

Ruby stopped squirming, then brought her lips up to his. "I'll get you for that."

Leo smiled against her lips. "I'm sure you will."

Ruby wakes up, and upon seeing that it's already 6:30, scrambles out of bed and races to get dressed. _The sooner I get started on the rest of the week, the sooner it will be Thursday and the sooner it will be Thursday the sooner Leo will call_. She already feels pangs of longing for his voice, his smile. Anything. She takes a deep breath to calm herself, pressing her face into his t-shirt.

The good thing is, it's Friday.

She works as a fifth grade teacher, and the kids love her, especially when she brings in her ukulele or guitar and sings for them, or when she updates her dramatic ever-lasting saga about them. She updates this story every Friday, and it's always fun to watch the kids smile when they hear their name mentioned. It takes her mind away from the worry for awhile.

Just as she rushes to get ready for work, she gets a call from Annabeth.

"Hey, Annie!" Ruby tugs on jeans and a button down shirt, tentatively pulling a comb through her curly brown hair, balancing the phone on her shoulder. "How are you?"

"Agitated. I'll be on edge all day, waiting for Percy's call."

"I know, girlie. Hang in there. He'll call. Don't worry."

"Did Leo call you yesterday?"

Ruby laughs. "Yes, around two a.m."

"He never did have great timing," Annabeth muses. "Anyway, I was calling to see if you wanted to have a pity party with me and Piper tonight."

"Will there be booze?" She bustles into the kitchen, pulling on a coat and shoes.

"What kind of pity party would it be without it?"

Ruby smiles softly. This is routine. A week into their boys' departure, the girls usually go to Annabeth's and either get roaring drunk or cry their eyes out over bowls of ice cream (and cupcakes that Ruby always bakes and brings over) while watching a Once Upon A Time marathon. "Stock up on the vodka for me. And the cherry coke."

Annabeth laughs tensely. "As long as you bring over the cupcakes."

Ruby snags her keys from the counter. She's in too much of a rush to eat today, and besides she doesn't think she can stomach any food while Leo's gone.

The phone calls are both blessings and curses. They ease her mind, just for awhile, and let her talk to her Leo, but they also cause fresh waves of longing and misery after they're over.

"Of course I'll bring the cupcakes. And Piper better get the Chinese food." She's out the door, locking it behind her, and rushing for her car. She's off to begin a new day, sliding into the driver's seat and plugging her phone into the wireless speaker mode.

Annabeth sighs. "It's a wonder how we function without them, really. Look at us. We're a mess."

Ruby flips down the sun visor as the sunrise glares through the windshield. A piece of paper flutters down and into her lap. "That we are," Ruby remarks as she recognizes the sloppy scribbled handwriting and her heart stops beating for a brief moment. "Hey, Annie, can I call you back?"

"That's probably a good idea. I need to get going," Annabeth says over the phone, but Ruby doesn't register her words. She picks up the note, her eyes devouring the words as fast as they can.

_Ruby,_

_Have you burned a hole in the dining room table yet? That has to be my favorite line from the song, because god knows how many times I've accidentally set that damn thing on fire. _

_Anyway. I hope you see this, because the whole purpose of it is to cheer you up while I'm gone. There are exactly 90 letters hidden throughout the apartment, each one for a specific day that I'm gone. So whatever day it is when you read this, hurry up and find the letters and read them, but only the ones for the days that have already passed. No reading ahead. Don't worry. They're not _too_ hard to find. I already gave you a clue to the first one (*cough cough* dining room table *cough cough*). Stop worrying, joya, and go about your day now. Everything will be alright._

_-Leo_

_P.S._

_I love you._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Leo Valdez (unfortunately, our dear Uncle Rick does and Uncle Rick is keeping our poor bby single and sad) or any of the songs I mention. The inspiration was drawn from SuavePanda's story Hold On To Your Stars BUT THE PLOT IS MINE MWAHAHAHA! And no, I am NOT trying to rip off Nicholas Sparks OR his book P.S. I Love You. Carry on.**

The drive to school is a blur for Ruby. She keeps replaying the note in her head, wondering where the letters are. It's been three days, so she gets to find those three, along with today's.

The dining room table. That's where the first one is.

She grows excited, despite everything. She loves the idea of a treasure hunt. It's totally something Leo would think up. Then she realizes that the treasure at the end of the journey would be something better than gold or jewels. Leo would be home.

She turns into the school parking lot, parks the car and hurries toward the school. She's late. The kids should be arriving soon.

She rushes into the classroom just in time for the first bell to ring. Fifth graders pour into the room, in a clamor of backpacks, shouts, and calls.  
Ruby claps her hands for attention. "Morning, kiddos!"

"Good morning, Ms. O'Connor!" the children chorus.

"Okay, guys. Who's ready for another chapter?"

They all scramble for their seats and immediately fall silent, waiting for the story. Every Friday is story day.

Ruby smiles. This is the only way she ever gets them to quiet down. She takes her place at the front of the room in front of the whiteboard. The American flag hangs beside it, as a flag hangs in every classroom. She sighs and stares at it for a moment, the deep red bright against the board's white surface, the dark blue stark and contrasting. Her thoughts briefly flicker back to Leo, and the hidden letters.

"Ms. O'Connor?" One of the girls, Maria, calls Ruby's name, jerking her out of her thoughts.

"What? Oh. Yes." Ruby has her notebook her special Saga Notebook. She compiles all the stories into it. She has one notebook per year, and each week is a story that features her and the children. Every Friday, she continues and reads the story aloud, creating a dramatic soap opera worthy saga about the escapades of the class.

"Our story last left off with the brave and bold Spencer-" a boy in the back of the room smiles at the mention of his name, "fighting the sea serpent, and he succeeded, freeing his captured fellow adventurers Lila, Will, and Clara. The adventurers swam back to the surface from the underwater lair of the serpent, and began the long swim to shore. Meanwhile, Cody, Grace, and Hannah sailed their pirate ship to a distant island. Upon the shore, they disembarked and found Lady Scarlett and her fellow wizards John, Kimberly, and Matt. They had been aiding Lady Scarlett with her search for pieces of a map that would take them to a treasure hoard that would put all other hoards to shame. They didn't know what the treasure was, but they knew it would be worth the risk to find.

Ruby pauses for breath. "And while the search had begun, in a distant kingdom, Princess Sophie and her lady in waiting Maria had received a visit from her fairy godmother, Kate. The fairy Kate had given Princess Sophie a book for her birthday, a book about how to be a princess, and how to break all sorts of curses and even cast some simple magical spells. Kate needed help as well, as she was to battle the evil sorcerer James and needed help from all the royals in the land. King Carson and Queen Eva agreed to assist the good fairy, as did the royals from a neighboring country. Those royals, King Charles, Queen Silena and their son, Prince Ethan had pledged their alliance to the fairy and Prince Ethan rode out with his trusty lieutenant, Zach and his knights to King Carson's kingdom so they could assist the good fairy directly. But the evil sorcerer James had a different plan for them.

The children gasp, eyes wide, sitting on the edge of their seats. James, the boy in question, stares at Ruby, his face confused, but excited, waiting to hear what it was he did.

"James laid in wait for the prince and his men, and when they rode by, he sprang a trap, catching them in great big nets. He left them there, in the forest, and set out, posing as Prince Ethan, so he could get close to and perhaps slay the good fairy."

Ruby closes her notebook. "And that ends our newest episode of the Saga Notebook."

The kids groan.

"But, what happened to the _real_ prince and his men?" Clara asks. "Do they get rescued?"

Ruby smiles. "You'll just have to wait and see, hon. Until next Friday!" she cheers, fist pumping the air.

"Until next Friday!" the kids echo.

Ruby carefully places the notebook back on her desk, next to the picture she has of Leo and her. Leo's all geared up in uniform and he's got her around the middle, swinging her around, their foreheads touching, both of them laughing. Ruby smiles to herself. That picture was taken the day he returned from his first tour of duty. It was possibly the best day of her life.

"Okay, kids. Take out your math books and turn to page 394. Today, we start with improper fractions." **A/N: Did anyone get that reference? 50 points to your house if you do!**

Soon enough, when the bell rings, Ruby watches the children file out of the classroom and gathers her things. When all the kids have exited the room, she flicks off the lights, locks the door, and tears through the school down to the parking lot.

She jams the key into the slot, starts the car, and drives back to her apartment carefully, but with a certain urgency she couldn't explain to any police officer if she got pulled over.

The minute she gets home, Ruby tears up the stairs and into her apartment. She lets the door slam shut by itself and drops her bag, papers scattering. She'll pick them up later and grade them, probably on Sunday, with a pizza or leftover Chinese food.

She reaches the dining room table and pauses, tracing the scorch marks left from Leo's past projects.

She runs her fingers around the sides and bends down to look underneath.

Then, she sees it. An envelope taped to the bottom of the table.

Eagerly, she unsticks it from the bottom and still siting under the table, tears it open, eyes sweeping across the page.

_Ruby,_

_You found it! Great job. I knew you would. Well. Here's letter from day 1. I hope you're well, not handling my absence _too_ hard. I hope you didn't get too wasted with Annabeth and Piper last night, but I know Annabeth and when she needs to, that girl can get drunk as a skunk in zero minutes flat. I don't know how Percy deals with her. Her hangovers must be brutal._

_But, I digress._

_Leaving you was so hard yesterday. I know it was hard for you too. But just think; in exactly 89 days from now, I will be on my way home. Forever. _

_That's a nice, long word, forever. I hope you'll stick around for even half that, because I don't know what I would do without you and these 90 days away from you will be agonizing. What gets me through it is the knowledge that you're there for me, waiting for me with open arms to welcome me home._

_Percy and Jason are always as down as I am. You should see us on the plane. We're just three sad guys sitting in a line, hopelessly missing the women that our lives would be nothing without. _

_Anyway, I've decided that for these letters, I'll help tell the story through pictures. Hm. Let's start with your eyes._

Ruby digs into the envelope again, and finds a picture of her face, a close up. In it, she's grinning at the camera, the sun behind her. She recognizes it as a picture from Percy's lake house.

_Those are the first things I noticed about you when we first met. They're so blue, but then they're so gray, but not stormy like Annabeth's. No, yours are more calm and placid, like the sea after a storm. (Betcha didn't think I was such a poet, dija? Okay. The 'sea after a storm' part wasn't really me. I stole that from Princess Bride.) You were wearing silver eyeliner that day, and for a moment it made me think your eyes were pure silver. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and from what I could see, your soul was brilliant. I think I fell in love with you then and there._

_I had been having lots of relationship issues, then. There _was_ this girl who could make me smile and feel like the smartest guy around, but she left me for some other guy who either had a better body or had more money. Or both. I can't quite remember. So, I was in a bit of a funk. Piper and Jason dragged me up there, practically had to tie me up and carry me out of my workshop. They were determined to cheer me up. _

_And then, when we got to the lake house and you were there with Percy and Annabeth and I looked in your eyes and I swear they were stars, burning bright. (Never, ever, _ever,EVER_ show this to _anyone_, especially Percy and Jason. I will never live it down otherwise. They were always jealous of my capacity to woo women with poetry.) But that day that I met you, I swear it was the best day of my life. _

_Okay. So. Next clue to the next letter. When in doubt, you'll always find me here, right? And in this place, look where I would put my most trusty 'accessory'. Got it?_

_Go get it, _tomorrow!

_-Leo_

_P.s. I love you_

Ruby stares for a moment, a tear leaks out the corner of her eye. Leo was always affectionate with her, but never this deep. She's star struck, quite legitimately.

But then, she's off to find the next letter.

She knows where to look.

She races into the unused room they have in the apartment, just off of the kitchen. Well, unused isn't exactly the right word. It's Leo's workshop.

Tools lay haphazardly all around, on the floor, leaning against the wall, and spread out across the workbench in the center of the room.

On the wall by the door is a hook, where Leo usually rests his tool belt if it is not needed. A letter is now stuck on that same hook.

She tears it off, (gently, of course) and rips it open. A picture falls out, one of her cradling her guitar and sticking her tongue out at the camera, sitting in front of the campfire that day at Percy's lake house.

_Ruby,_

_ Congrats, baby. You found letter number two. And this letter, I'm going to be talking about… *cues drumroll*_

_ Your voice._

_ Your voice is one of my favorite parts of you (if I _had_ to pick you apart and choose) and your musical talent just blows my mind. I could never in a million years learn to play an instrument. I'd probably break it, or something._

_ I especially love the song you sing for us. Our song. P.S. I Love You _**(A/N: yes that is a real song. It's been recorded by Kelly McKay and other artists. Go look it up! It's a great song)**_. Whenever I'm away and get to call and you sing that, nothing can kill my buzz. _

_Which reminds me. This is a clue to your next letter. You play this thing only when you _really_ need to think or actually get me out of the workshop. This was the first instrument you've ever learned, I think. _

_But anyway, back to you. _

_I first heard your voice at Percy's, and man was I stunned. Everyone had to practically threaten you to get you to pick up the guitar and sing. And I'm so glad Piper threatened to dye your hair green while you were sleeping. That really convinced you. I still remember what you had sung (bet you didn't think I remembered, huh?) It was 'Hallelujah', the Jeff Buckley version, and when you sang it, it put even Jeff Buckley to shame. And then you sang another song and another and another and I just couldn't get enough of your voice. All I could do was stare, and you looked up and saw me staring (probably drooling too) and you stuck out your tongue. I'm so glad Piper took that opportunity to take a photo. _

_Well. I guess I used up all my poetic drive in the first letter. Maybe I should watch Princess Bride again. I need more poetry to rip off- I mean think up. Do me a favor and sing me our song next time I call. _

_Go get that next letter tomorrow! It's in a place where you always go when you need to think something through. You'll find it._

_-Leo_

_P.S. I love you_

Ruby sighs, puts down the letter and wipes the tears from her face.

She can't believe it. Leo, usually so adorably awkward, always vaguely removed. She blames it on the fact that he's just had bad luck picking the wrong girls. Displays of affection are always easier for her, choosing to communicate it through her songs and words. Now, Leo seems to be making up for two and a half years worth of unspoken feelings, and he's doing it through both words _and_ images.

To put it simply, she's blown away.

She glances at the clock, sighs, and gets up. It's almost 5 and she has to be at Annabeth's at 8:30. She has to get a jump on the cupcakes and the three and a half hour drive to New York City from Boston. Why Leo and Ruby settled in Boston while everyone else is in New York, she doesn't know. All she knows is she's glad to be there. New York is nice, but a bit large. Boston is perfect. All the rich history.

Ruby makes her way into the kitchen and pulls out the necessary ingredients. She dials Annabeth while mixing the batter. "Hey, Anna. I might be late."

"Late? Who are you and what have you done to Ruby? The Ruby I know is always ten minutes early."

Ruby laughs. "I'll explain when I get there. I received a pleasant surprise."

"Surprise? Like what?"

"I'll tell you when I get there!"

"Okay, okay. But hurry!"

"So whatcha got for us to watch?" Ruby pours the batter into the cupcake tin.

"The usual. Supernatural, Once Upon A Time, maybe even a comedy to reward us for getting through week 1."

"A comedy sounds good. I'm in the mood to laugh."

"Well that WAS a good surprise. You're usually very sigh-y after a phone call from overseas."

Ruby laughs again. "Speaking of phone calls, did you get yours?"

Annabeth's voice immediately sobers and turns wistful. "Yeah."

"And?" Ruby asks gently. She knows how hard it is.

"Well he's doing alright. Things are fine. He misses me. I miss him."

"That's good." She pushes the cupcake tins into the oven. "So should I bring chocolate homemade or chocolate canned frosting?" Ruby pauses. "Wait, don't answer that. I'll bring both." Sugar cravings. They're terrible.

"Pipes should be here with the Chinese around 8. And when you get here, we will both expect a full explanation of your 'surprise'."

Ruby laughs. "I'm just coming for the food and entertainment. You're still banned from showing us the History Channel by the way."  
Annabeth huffs. "That was _one time_. How was I supposed to know they would choose that night to show Countdown to the Apocalypse? They usually show 10 Things You Don't Know About or Pawn Stars or History Films!"

"Annie…" Ruby says as she wanders into her room to pack an overnight bag (she usually ends up sleeping over at Annabeth's, as does Piper. Ruby's usually too tipsy by midnight to even focus on the TV screen let alone drive. And they all deal with their hangovers together too). "Annie, Piper and I wouldn't want to watch those shows anyways. Or the ones about the Egyptians building the pyramids or Romans building the coliseum. We'd much rather cry about how Snow and Charming can't remember each other." **(A/N: Once Upon A Time is the BEST show, okay. I may or may not be talking about it later on. Lemme know if you don't want any spoilers! I'm finished with all the seasons so far and desperately awaiting September to watch Season 3!) **

Annabeth just sighs. "You two have no appreciation for culture or knowledge."

"Oh we do, we do, dearie," Ruby says as she throws clothes into a bag, pausing to pack one of Leo's old t-shirts that she sleeps in. "You're talking to a part time musician/writer. Piper is a painter. Culture is the only thing our poor 'starving artist' brains survive on."

"But the WWI and WWII shows describe battle tactics and it's _so_ interesting-"

"Annabeth, when I agreed to watch Saving Private Ryan with you, we both ended up sobbing and drinking all the wine you had in the apartment. How can you sit through the military shows?"

Silence at the end of the line. "I usually have a few beers."

Ruby smiles wryly. "Oh sure. A _few_." The timer dings on the cupcakes. "Okay, Annie, I gotta go. I'll see you in a few hours."

"Okay Ruby. Don't forget about the surprise!"

**A/N: Okay I know you're all probably getting pretty irritated with these AN's, but I need them to prove some points or add some commentary occasionally. P.S. I Love You ****_is_**** a real song, yes. It's the inspiration for this story. It was used in the movie P.S. I Love You, and I am not trying to rip that off AT ALL with the whole p.s. I love you bit at the end of every letter. I'll shake it up. I promise I'm not stealing ANY ideas from anyone, Nicholas Sparks or otherwise. Okay THANKS FOR READING! YOU ARE ALL AWESOME! I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER WAS BAD! TELL YOUR FRIENDS PLEASE! All the reviews are great I love that positive reinforcement. Thanks to koalacutie, samm10, and of course SuavePanda for inspiring me to write this story! Anyone got any suggestions/ideas/input to add? It would be very welcome. It helps improve the story. Thanks guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby groaned as she trudged up the stairs to Annabeth's apartment. _Three and a half hours in the car and the radio cuts out every channel except the sports station, and I'm not listening to that… _

She balances the cupcakes on one arm as she knocks on the door. She's fifteen minutes late, but with her 'surprise'; she doesn't think Annabeth and Piper will mind.

The door flies open, and Piper stands behind it. "Ruby! Finally! We thought you had gotten mugged or something!"

Ruby laughs and enters, hugging her friend. "I _told_ Annabeth I would be late."

Piper stares. "I changed my mind. You didn't get mugged, you're_ possessed!_ Call the Winchesters! Get the salt!"

Ruby rolls her eyes and pushes past Piper into the kitchen, setting the cupcakes on the counter and chucking her overnight bag into the corner beside the door.

Annabeth's apartment is beautiful. Which is no surprise, since she's one of the best architects out there. Ruby's jealous at how clean it is; her and Leo's apartment is usually in a disarray of books, sheet music, tools, unfolded laundry and school papers. It's not uncommon for one of them to hop into bed and find either a wayward hammer or guitar pick. But it's a warm, worn, shabby and welcoming space that just invites you in, making you feel right at home and wishing for a cup of tea.

Annabeth and Percy's apartment is spotless, organized, and cheery. Pictures of them line the walls, and Annabeth's books and design plans are neatly stacked on the dining room table.

Annabeth gets up from her bar stool at the counter, glass of wine in hand and gives Ruby a hug. "Are you going to tell about your surprise now?" She asks.

"Surprise?" Piper's eyes widen. "Ruby Roo, are you keeping secrets from us?"

Ruby sighs, rolls her eyes, and goes about making herself a vodka cherry coke. She's always had a taste for strange combinations, and this is one of her favorites. "Okay, okay. I'll tell. Let's get settled on the couch first. Piper, did you get crispy honey shrimp?"

Piper hands Ruby the box and a pair of chopsticks. "All yours, girlie."

Annabeth grabs the fried rice, Piper has the dumplings, and they all flop onto the couch, where Once Upon a Time is all cued up.

"Okay. Talk now." Annabeth points a threatening finger at Ruby.

Ruby smiles, digging Leo's letters out of her purse. "Before Leo left, he hid 90 envelopes in the apartment, each one containing a picture and a letter."

Piper gasps. "That doesn't sound like him. That's _way_ too romantic for _Leo_ to think up."

Ruby grins. "Okay, he probably had help. Probably from Percy. But these letters though. They're the real deal."

Annabeth gently takes the letter from day two out of Ruby's hand. "I remember this picture! It was at the campfire at Percy's lake house!"

"Hell, I _took_ that picture!" Piper grins. "It's a damn good one too. I _knew_ my artistic skills would come in handy."

Ruby takes a bite of her food, chewing thoughtfully. "Yeah, he's using pictures along with the letters, kind of like a visual aid."

"You said they were one letter per day?" Annabeth asks. Ruby nods. "Then you have five more to find! They left last Friday, what took you so long?"

"I'm not a Hufflepuff. I suck at finding things." **(A/N: Okay I HAVE to ask. Did anyone get that? 75 points to your house if so!) **Ruby sips her drink. "I flipped down the sun visor in my car this morning and it fell out." She sighs. "It's hard to believe that was just this morning."

"So where were these when you found them?" Piper asks, her eyes glued to the TV screen.

Ruby smiles. "The first was under the dining room table. The second was in his workshop, and I think letter #3 is somewhere around my piano."

"What makes you say that?" Annabeth asks.

"The clue. I usually end up banging on the piano if I want Leo to come out of his workshop when he disappears in there for three days at a time."

Piper laughs. "That sounds like him. When Jason's home, he just spends time with me."

"Oh, I'm _sure_ he does," Ruby remarks, wiggling her eyebrows. "I bet you two just spend _so much time_ together, in one room in particular."

Piper grins. "Oh, we do. Especially the nights he gets back and after we all finish with our triple date he and I go home and-"

"Wow, Pipes," Annabeth laughs as she fast-forwards through the commercials. "Now I know why you two don't answer your phones for two days after the guys come back."

A sudden silence falls on the three women as Annabeth's words sink in. _Come back._ And Ruby knows that they're all wondering; if they will be able to say that again, the words _'the guys come back'_. Ruby shivers as she thinks of one more word that could be added, one word that could change everything. _Didn't_. And she knows they're all sitting there, thinking that ugly 'what if'. _What if_ that word had to be added? _Didn't._ _What if the guys _didn't_ come back_, Ruby thinks, then immediately squashes that thought. No. She can't think like that. It seems like giving up already, giving up on Leo, on their future, and she refuses to relinquish any bit of her happiness, refuses to lose him.

Ruby is the first to clear her throat and stand, rejecting the torturous descent down that rabbit hole. "Cupcakes, anyone?"

"Just bring them here. And the frosting. I'll frost my own cupcakes. I'm twenty four years old, dammit." Piper says.

"Your version of frosting a cupcake is stealing half the bowl and glopping it onto a single cupcake," Ruby retorts as she makes her way into the kitchen with her empty Chinese food box. "More wine?"

"Oh, yeah." Annabeth raises her half empty glass towards Ruby in response. "Bring the whole bottle. It's gonna be one of those nights."

Ruby grabs the bottle and the cherry coke and vodka and carries it all back to the coffee table in front of the couch, doubling back for the dessert.

Piper eagerly snatches the bowl of frosting and two cupcakes and begins to apply generous amounts of chocolate fudge to the top of her cakes. Ruby takes three. Annabeth smiles and waits her turn, but delves right in once the treats are passed to her.

"So. Catch me up. Henry's having Mary Margaret read the storybook to the unconscious guy who's Prince Charming?" Piper asks through a mouthful of cake.

Annabeth nods. "And- _Oh my Gods!"_ She gasps as Charming unconsciously grabs Mary Margaret's, a.k.a. Snow White's, hand.

Ruby's eyes go wide. "_He moved. He heard her!_" She takes another drink of her alcoholic guilty pleasure.

Piper squeals. "That's so romantic!"

And that's how the three of them spend the rest of their night, drinking the anxiety away into a numb stupor and watching ten more episodes of Once Upon A Time.

That next morning, Ruby awakes with a throbbing head and a roaring in her ears. She cracks her crusty, bleary eyes open, sticky because she forgot to remove her contacts. She lifts her head from its place on Annabeth's soft living room carpet, and her stomach lurches.

"Oh Gods," She mutters as she stumbles to the bathroom, clumsily stepping over a snoring Piper. She switches her contacts out for glasses, and then vomits up an ugly mix of Chinese food and chocolate.

When she exits the bathroom, she goes to the kitchen and fills up a glass of water, sipping it.

Annabeth shifts on the couch, mumbling in her sleep. Ruby puts on a pot of coffee and glances at the clock. Nine a.m. When she gets home, she's going to bed for sure, cuddled with Leo's pillow on his side of the bed.

The coffee brews, the smell awakening Annabeth, whose eyes are bloodshot and just as bleary as Ruby's. "What time is it?" she croaks.

"Nine." Ruby brings over a glass of water and a cup of coffee.

Annabeth accepts the proffered drinks, then buries her face in the couch. "I'm not moving. I refuse."

Ruby gently nudges Piper with her foot. Piper's eyes flick open, and she stands up, then sways. "Oh crap I stood up too fast… Oh crap… Hold on…" she mutters as she lumbers towards the bathroom and the waiting toilet.

Sounds of puking soon echo throughout the apartment.

Annabeth gags. "Oh shit. The sound of people throwing up makes _me_ want to throw up."

The swish of the toilet bowl soon follows the sounds of heaving, and Piper walks back into the room. "I feel like shit," she complains as she pours herself a large cup of coffee. "We do this almost every week for long periods of time. You'd think we'd have a higher tolerance of alcohol."

Ruby sighs, rubbing her eyes. "I think my body's just pissed at me for getting it so drunk."

Annabeth yawns. "Mine too." She eases herself up from the couch. "Okay, guys, I love you like sisters and all, but please get the f**k out of my apartment. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."

Piper nods, clutching her coffee cup. "Sounds like a plan. I'll do the same. I just don't want to drive home."

"At least _you_ don't have to drive three and a half hours to get home," Ruby sighs as she pulls her stuff together and pops an Ibuprofen she brought along, in a wonderful moment of foresight. "My head feels like an angry porcupine's rolling around inside."

Piper laughs, one harsh exclamation, then closes her eyes. "Oh I shouldn't have done that, I should _not_ have laughed that hard."

Annabeth is already heading for her room. "Drive safe. Call me tomorrow to let me know you got home in one piece."

Ruby laughs; her stomach does somersaults in reply. "Yeah. Okay. See you."

* * *

She pulls into her parking space, turns off the car, grabs her bags, and makes the long, painful ascent up the stairs to her apartment. "Freaking twelfth floor… Swear to God, if the little dipshits set off _more_ fireworks in the back alley I _will_ kill them this time, I swear."

She makes it to her apartment uneventfully, fumbles with the key a few times, but on the third try she's in and swings the door shut, dropping her bags and stumbles to bed. A shower can wait.

She falls asleep curled around Leo's pillow, buried under all the blankets.

Ruby awakes some time later, around five and hops in the shower. Her hangover has subsided to a dull ache in the head and a slightly queasy stomach, but that's nothing a good cup of tea won't fix.

After she has her steaming cup of tea, she walks to the piano in search of Leo's third letter. She slides up the wood shelf that covers the keys, and sure enough an envelope is taped to the underside of it. A #3 is scribbled on the side.

Ruby sits on the bench, pulls her knees to her chest and opens it, pulling out the letter and a photograph of the front of her favorite bookstore, Facts to Fairytales.

_Ruby,_

_ You found #3! Bueno! I hope you're reading these in order. You better be, 'cause if you aren't, then put this back where it came from or so help me… _**(A/N: Hope you guys got that one. Think 'Mike Wazowski!") **

_Anyway. This letter is about how I shamelessly stalked you for weeks after meeting you at Percy's lake house. I don't know if you ever saw me around (I _was_ pretty covert, if I do say so myself. Kind of like James Bond, except more badass) but I saw you. Now before you call the landlord to say you're moving out, just listen. I'm not a psycho. I promise._

_ I first saw you a week after the lake house at this bookstore, Facts to Fairytales. Annabeth had mentioned to me that you liked to frequent it there, so I'm going to be honest here, I went there every day, hoping to see you. The guy behind the counter started getting uneasy when I showed up that third day, but when he asked if he could help me, I just joked and said 'only if you've got this girl in stock.'_

_ Turns out, he knew you. And I'll admit, I got a little jealous. _

_When you showed up that one day, I couldn't believe my luck. And then, I spazzed. When you walked by, I grabbed the first book that was within reach. The Lightning Thief. It was actually pretty decent. Have you read it? That Perry Johnson guy sounds a lot like our Percy. Who am I kidding? Of course you've read it._

_I watched you browse, and you looked so happy. When you found a book you were interested in, you grinned and bit your thumbnail, adding it to the pile that was already building in your arms. And when you would walk by a book you already read and liked, you just sighed and ran your fingers over the cover. _

_Actually, I went back and read some of those books, the ones you smiled at and touched the covers. I wanted to know what you were into._

_And then one day, you talked to me._

Ruby pauses, smiling. She remembers that day…

***(flashback)***

She had been searching for Clockwork Princess, eager to find out what would happen next to Will Herondale, Tessa Gray, and her favorite character, Jem Carstairs. As she made her way to the counter with the book clutched in her hand, she had noticed a familiar looking guy in a uniform reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

"That's a great book," She had said to him. "But I cried so hard when Hagrid died."

His head shot up, eyes wide. "_Hagrid dies?"_

She couldn't contain her laughter. "No… I'm sorry…" She gasped. "He doesn't die… Fake spoiler… Your expression…" She collected herself, clearing her throat. "I'm sorry. That was mean."

He set the book down, and nodded, crossing his arms. "Yeah, that was. You gave me a heart attack."

Ruby smiled. "Sorry about that. I just couldn't resist. Fake spoilers are the best."

He feigned offense. "Well, I don't know how I'll get over it. I take these books very seriously, you know."

Ruby suppressed a giggle. "Oh, of course. You must let me know how I can make it up to you." She peered at him, positive she knew him. "Leo, right? We met at Percy's lake house last week."

He grinned. "Leo Valdez. That's me. And you're Ruby O'Connor, with the voice like an angel."

Ruby blushed. "Hardly. But thank you." She approached the register, and he followed.

"Hey, Ruby." Her friend, Frank greeted her from across the counter. "How's it going?"

"Great." She grinned. "How are you?"

"Good. Is that all?"

Ruby nodded. "A teacher's salary only buys you so many books."

Frank laughed.

Ruby had felt a tap on her shoulder. Leo.

"Hey, Ruby. I think I know how you can make it up to me, for you know, almost killing me back there."

Ruby smiles. "Okay. Shoot. How?"

"By letting me buy you that book."

Ruby blushed. "You don't have to do that."

"Nah, it's fine. If it makes you feel better, you can treat me to a coffee at Starbucks afterwards."

Ruby shook her head, smiling. "I don't know how to argue with that logic."

***(end flashback)***

Ruby blinks, drawing herself out of the memory and looking back at the letter.

_I don't know if you could tell, but my heart was beating so fast I thought I really _was_ going to have a heart attack. And when you got friendly with the cashier, I'll admit I was extremely jealous._

Ruby laughs at that. Frank is just a harmless guy, whom Leo eventually warmed up to. And Franks girlfriend, Hazel, is sweet as pie.

_I'm glad I bought you that book. And I'm glad you accepted my offer for a trip to Starbucks. You owed me, really, for scaring me with the Hagrid spoiler. I still have nightmares about it._

_Well, that's all for now. Read the next letter _tomorrow!_ It's in a place where you would look for something of mine, if you needed comfort. That's all I'm gonna say._

_Love always,_

_Leo_

**A/N: THANKS TO Bookworm FOR THE KINDEST REVIEW! YOU ROCK MY FRIEND AND YES I WAS REFERENCING HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN SO FIFTY POINTS TO YOUR HOUSE! J I hope the rest of you got my references. 50 house points to you if you do! *cough cough* A VERY POTTER MUSICAL *cough cough* Hope you guys laughed. I'm sorry the flashback was so awkward and shitty. I would've put it in italics, but the letter was already in italics. Thanks for reading! Please R&R if convenient! LOVE YOU ALL!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ruby sighs and smiles, already heading for the bedroom. She knows where letter #4 is.

She yanks open Leo's drawer in their dresser, and sure enough, taped to the bottom underneath all his t-shirts is an envelope, a #4 scribbled on the side. Eagerly, Ruby sits on the bed and tears it open.

_Ruby,_

_ I hope you found this on the right day, because I know you like to go diving in this drawer for a shirt every now and again. If this isn't day #4, then don't read it! Stop now! Go back!_

_ But if today _is_ day #4, then here we go. _

_ This picture_-

Ruby pauses to dig into the envelope and pulls out a photograph of a faded black T-shirt. She recognizes it as the first shirt she ever borrowed from Leo. Pausing to dig back into the drawer, she finds it at the bottom of the stack and changes into it. It still smells of him, even after being washed and worn by her so many times.

_Do you remember when we left the bookstore that first day it rained so hard the streets flooded and were impossible to drive on?_

Ruby smiles because yes, she _does_ remember. They had walked to Leo's apartment nearby, and when they got there, she was soaked through to the bone...

_Frank waved at the pair as Leo guided her outside the bookstore and they were surprised to find that the skies had opened up and the coffee store displayed a 'closed' sign. "I guess that's gonna be a _rain check _on the coffee, huh?"_

_Ruby laughed at the pun, hugging her books to her chest to keep them dry, trying to huddle underneath the awning to the shop. "Literally." Then her brow furrowed as she checked her phone for the road conditions. "Oh shit, the highways are all shut down on flood watch."_

_Leo looked at her, back pressed against the brickwork that was the front of the store, and stripped off his jacket, handing it to her. "Here. We can walk to my apartment, if you want. It's close."_

_Ruby blushed and took the jacket. "Thanks. I parked at Annabeth's, but she's probably stuck at work and I don't have a key." She sighed and stepped into the street. "At least I wore my work clothes straight from school and packed my gym clothes in my bag. " _

_Within seconds, her hair was plastered to her face and her shoes squished with every step._

_"Where _do_ you work?" Leo asked as they began their wet trek down the sidewalk, sidestepping a puddle. "I keep forgetting to ask."_

_"I teach fifth graders at Boston Elementary in Boston. They're all great kids."_

_"What are you doing in New York City? Not that I'm complaining about seeing you, of course." Leo joked. His shirt was already soaked through and sticking to his tanned skin. Raindrops hung in his dark brown hair, dripping down his face and even some drops clung to eyelashes that framed his warm, chocolate brown eyes. _

_Ruby blinked, blushed again, then looked away. "Are you kidding? This is the best bookshop around! It's my end of the week treat, for working with a bunch of ten year olds all day for five days straight."_

_Leo laughed. "Most teachers go out for Happy Hour and get sloshed, but you go out and buy books? You sound like quite the party animal."_

_Ruby grinned. "Yup. You should see me when I get home. I make some tea, put in a movie and start reading. I'm so badass."_

_Leo laughed again, and upon walking by an especially large puddle, he leapt into it, splashing Ruby._

_"Oh great. I just agreed to have coffee sometime with a ten year old," Ruby rolled her eyes at Leo, smiling the whole time. _

_Leo shook his head. "Nah. More like a 22 year old who _acts_ like a ten year old."_

_Ruby smiled. "Oh even better! You can have _alcohol_ in your coffee!"_

_Leo smiled. "Don't knock it till you try it."_

_Ruby shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"_

_"You say that like you're gonna be around awhile." Ruby knew it was a flirty comment, but she could hear the serious undertones. Jason_ had_ mentioned that Leo had lots of girlfriend troubles, and problems that involved the girl leaving or cheating._

_Ruby thought Leo was too loveable for anyone to hurt him. He was like a puppy._

_A puppy that apparently got kicked a lot._

_"Well I might as well see you again," Ruby said. "What with our mutual friends and such. And I do expect that coffee at one point or another. And maybe I'll reread the last Harry potter book while you read it for the first time. You know, help you over the Hagrid scare. "_

_Leo chuckled. "I looked pretty traumatized huh? I _felt_ traumatized."_

_Ruby snickered. "I just _had_ to do it. Pranks aren't usually my forte but you were the perfect target."_

_Leo knocked her playfully with his shoulder, but underestimated the force that his tall, 6'4 frame exerted on her short 5'3 one. Ruby slipped and went sprawling on the wet pavement._

_"Oh crap! I'm sorry!" Leo bent down and grabbed her hands, pulling her up. "Are you okay?" _

_She had grazed her elbow. The irritated area was red, but nothing else._

_"I'm fine. Not even a scratch," Ruby reassured him, but he was already examining it closely, a panicked look in his eye as he gently grasped her arm._

_"You sure?"_

_Ruby pulled her arm from his hands and they resumed walking. "I think I'll live." She smiled and tried to push him back. It was extremely ineffective. "Don't you fret, Monsieur Marius, I don't feel any pain. A little fall of rain can hardly hurt me now." She sang at him._

_Leo stared, but Ruby was on a roll. _

_"What song is that?" He asked._

_"It's from Les Miserables. Have you seen it? It's a musical."_

_Leo slowly shook his head, droplets of rain flyin out of his dark, shaggy locks. "Nope."_

_"Well, it's a _really_ sad musical, but all the songs are beautiful. 'Les miserables' literally translates to 'the miserable ones' in French."_

_"You speak French?" Leo asked._

_Ruby laughed and shook her head. "Oh, no. I just googled 'Les Miserables' one day and that's what popped up. The only foreign language I took in school was Spanish."_

_Leo grinned. "You speak Spanish?"_

_"Well, _speak _is such a _strong_ word…" Ruby trailed off, wiping rain from her face. "I haven't had the opportunity to use it since high school."_

_"¿De dónde eres? Soy de Texas." Leo paused. "Me entiendes?"_

_Ruby turned her head to look at him. "Did you ask where I was from?"_

_"Sí, ella me entiende!" He cheered. "De dónde eres?"_

_Ruby rolled her eyes. "Do you want my answer in English or Spanish?"_

_"Qué piensas?"_

_"Fine. Soy de Chicago."_

_"Porqué estas en Boston?"_

_Ruby pouted. "Are we there yet? I'm too cold to think in a foreign language."_

_Leo started laughing. "Yeah, we're almost there. Just another block."_

_They hurried up the street, just making it to the doors of the apartment building as thunder boomed._

_"Zeus is angry today," Ruby joked._

_Leo looked at her as he slid his key into the lock and opened the door. "Zeus… oh! King of the sky!" He laughed._

_Ruby raised her eyebrows, impressed. "Correct."_

_Leo held the door open for her and ushered her in. "What, you didn't think I knew mythology?"_

_"Well, that was an easy one."_

_ Leo led her through the lobby and into the elevator, hitting the button for the 7__th__ floor. "Fine. Give me a hard one."_

_Ruby thought for a moment. "Who ferries the departed souls from the land of the living to the underworld across the River Styx?"_

_Leo blinked, pushing his wet hair off his forehead. "Um. I know this one."_

_"You get three guesses." Ruby held up three fingers._

_"It was… Chiron? No, he's the horse guy who trains heroes."_

_Ruby put a finger down. "Two guesses."_

_"Come on! That didn't count! I corrected myself!"_

_"Two guesses!" Ruby teased._

_"It's not Hades. The guy has a 'k' sounding name…"_

_"Give up?"_

_"Never!" _

_The doors dinged open. An old couple scooted in. "Tenth floor, please, young man." The woman asked._

_Leo pressed the button, then turned back to Ruby. "It's on the tip of my tongue. I was close with Chiron."_

_Ruby grinned. "You said it yourself that was wrong! Two guesses left." She waved her fingers at him. _

_"I don't care-wait, that's it!"_

_"What?"_

_"Charon! His name was Charon! Like 'care'. I _was_ close with Chiron!"_

_Ruby smiled and just shook her head. "Fine. You win."_

_The old couple glanced back and forth between Ruby and Leo, then smiled at each other._

_"Oh, Kurt, remember when we were like that?" The old woman whispered to her husband. "Young and in love?"_

_The old man smiled and put his arm around his wife. "We may not be so young, Lena, but we're _still_ in love."_

_Ruby smiled at the old people, catching the woman's eye._

_"Excuse me, dear," the woman said. "I hate to interrupt but you two remind me so much of us, my husband and I. Isn't it wonderful when you finally find that person you're meant to be with."_

_Ruby blinked. She shyly looked at Leo, caught him looking at her, and both of them looked away. Ruby felt her face burning. "Oh, we're not-"_

_"Nonsense," the woman said. "Anyone could tell you two were in love."_

_The elevator dinged as it hit the seventh floor. "This is us, Ruby," Leo mumbled as the doors slowly slid open. _

_"Well, it was good to meet you," Ruby smiled at the old couple._

_"You too, dear." The woman said just as the man exclaimed, "wait!" and jammed his foot in the doors._

_Ruby and Leo turned back._

_"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about Chiron and Charon," the man continued. "I'm a bit of a mythology buff myself. Have you two heard the story about soul mates?"_

Soul mates? _Ruby thought. _Leo and I can't be _soul mates_. I just _met_ him.

_"No, sir," Leo answered, confused._

_The man grinned. "Well, it was said that when the gods first created humans, they were made with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them in half, as two people with two arms, two legs, and one face. Each half would spend their lives searching for their complimentary halves. These people were called soul mates. Lena here," he gestured to his wife, "has been my other half for over fifty years, and I-"_

_"Kurt, for heaven's sake, let them go!" Lena chided. "Pay him no mind. He likes to talk." She pried his foot from the elevator doors, and they slowly slid shut. "We wish you as long and happy a time together as we've had!"_

_The doors shut._

_Leo and Ruby stood awkwardly in the hallway, not looking at each other. "So um," Leo said after a moment. "Are you cold? Oh, here," He took the books from her that she'd been carrying. "Sorry. I should've taken these earlier."_

_"It's fine." Ruby smiled. "You gave me your coat. They're dry." She looked at him, dripping wet, puddles forming around his feet. "But you're not." She wrung out her own sopping wet hair._

_Leo led the way down the hall. "This is it," he unlocked the door and held it open for her. "Sorry about the mess."_

_Ruby entered and the first things she noticed were all the tools. They were strewn all about the floor, couch, table, on top of the TV, you name it, it was there. Unfinished projects were everywhere alongside the tools too, things with wires and gears and parts that she couldn't even begin to describe. She laid Leo's coat on the couch, which is covered in papers and machine designs._

_Leo cleared a path to the bathroom for her. "Do you want to change in here? You said you had some stuff with you."_

_"Yeah, thanks," Ruby smiled and walked in, locking the door. She unslung her bag from her shoulder and started rummaging through. She peeled off her wet pants to exchange them for her gym shorts, but paused when she dug even deeper into the bag and found that she'd forgotten an extra shirt. _

_Not knowing what to do, Ruby just grimaced and left her wet shirt on. It would dry with time._

_Exiting the bathroom, she noticed rain was still pouring hard from the sky. Lightning flashed, silhouetting the dark apartment with faint light._

_Leo was in the kitchen, tinkering with the toaster. He seemed to have already changed out of his wet clothes and into sweats and a t-shirt. He looked up when she entered. "Can I um, get you anything?"_

_Ruby shivered slightly. "Tea, actually. That would be great."_

_"I don't think I have any…" Leo trailed off, but Ruby was already producing a plastic baggie of teabags from her purse. _

_"Fine, then some hot water." She grinned. "I always come prepared."_

_Leo laughed. "Yeah, I can see that, but… didn't you say you had a spare shirt?"_

_Ruby sighed and shrugged. "I don't have one. Guess I forgot to pack one."_

_"Do you want to uh, borrow one?" Leo's face seemed to color. "If it's not too weird, I mean. Borrowing a shirt from a stranger you just met who brought you to his apartment…" he stopped, figuring it would be disastrous to continue._

_Ruby felt her face go warm. "No, no, it's not weird. And you're good friends of Percy and Jason, so I'm assuming you're not a murderous psycho. A shirt would be nice, actually. I'm really cold."_

_Leo seemed relieved. "Oh! Yeah, okay." He disappeared into a small room off the kitchen and returned within moments, holding a faded black t-shirt. "Here ya go."_

_"Thanks." Ruby returned to the small bathroom once again, and changed into the warm, dry shirt. It was soft, and smelled faintly of Leo. Ruby smiled to herself. She found she enjoyed it quite a lot._

_When she exited the bathroom, Leo was sitting on the couch with the TV on. _

_"Here, sit down." He cleared some papers from the cushions. "Sorry about the mess." He handed Ruby a mug of hot water. "Here you go, m'lady."_

_"Thank you, sir," she joked and unwrapped a teabag, plopping into her cup. _

_Both of them were quiet._

_A commercial for cat food came on, filling the silence. Rain still pattered down the windows._

_"So, um, what are you watching?" Ruby asked._

_ "Doctor Who," Leo grins. _

_"Is it that British show about the man with the police box that's like a time machine?"_

_"Yes. Well, no. Well, yes. The police box is a Tardis. It _is_ a time machine spacecraft, and the guy who… lives in it… is a Time Lord. He uses it to travel through time and space. And he's not really a man, he's an alien."_

_Ruby blinked. "I've never seen this show before, so…"_

_"What?" Leo stared, then grabbed the remote. "We're watching it. Now." He pulled it up On Demand. . "I'd say we should start with episode one, but that aired in the 60's… we can do episode one of season 5. It's recent enough to catch up but has everything you need to know."_

_"Okay…"_

_"You'll like it. Trust me."  
***hours later***_

_"You know, I've always had an aspiration to build my own Tardis," Leo commented as they finished the eight episode of season 5. "I don't expect it to work or anything. Just building it would be enough."_

_Ruby laughed. "You'd be a great Time Lord."_

_"Hell yeah, I would."_

_Ruby laughed even harder and got up for more hot water. "Want anything?" She asked Leo._

_"No thanks," he said, then groaned. "Wait, wait, sit down. I'm the host, I'll get you the hot water and stuff."_

_"It's not a problem," Ruby said, backing towards the kitchen. "I'm already here."_

_She glanced out the window. "Oh. It's stopped raining."_

_Leo checked the clock on the stove. "It's almost seven. Want to stay for dinner?"_

_Ruby sighed and began collecting her stuff. "I shouldn't. I have to drive three and a half hours back to Boston, but thanks. Some other time?"_

_"Definitely. Here, I'll walk you to your car."_

_It wasn't until Ruby got home that she realized she was still wearing Leo's shirt._

Ruby sighs and smiles to herself. That was the best almost-first-date ever.

She looks at Leo's letter, but she knows what it will say. She knows he had just as much fun as she had.

_Ruby, that old man knew what he was talking about with the Greek myth. I found my other half, in you._

And as always, he signed it off with 'Love, Leo'.

But wait, written down at the bottom, is a P.S.

-_Ruby, I think you know where the next letter is. Why don't you go get something to drink tomorrow? You know where. At the counter, just order and mention I sent you to 'get a cup'. Cassie will know what you're talking about._

_All my love, _

_Leo_

Ruby sighs. She knows where to find the next letter, but it's almost six and she's hungry and has papers to grade.

"Tomorrow, Leo," she whispers. "I promise."

**READ THIS GUYS PLEASE  
A/N: Thanks to Awesomeness (Guest) and Team Valdez! Your reviews are always appreciated! My dear Bookworm, you get all the house points! You got all the references! The Perry Johnson one was a play on Dionysus always messing up Percy's name in the books. **

**By the way, I know absolutely NOTHING about Dr. Who. I only have approximate knowledge from Tumblr but I feel like Leo would watch it, no? Anyway, send me some Dr. Who tidbits/info that you guys think I would need in the story. **

**Sorry if the spanish is wrong or anything. I've only been taking it for 5 years and I'm still no bueno at it. :s **

**Sorry this took me so long, but this chapter KILLED ME UGH, so I'm sorry if it's absolute shit.  
I'll try harder next time, but I need some help guys! Send me some love! I'm lazy, and it's getting kind of hard to continuously write every letter. Anyone got any ideas? Would you rather I focused more on Ruby's life in the present than the flashbacks? Should I do flashbacks a different way? **

**And, dear readers, review at once if convenient. If inconvenient, review anyway.**


	5. Chapter 5

Ruby wakes to the sounds of firecrackers.

It's 8:27 am, and she's spread out on the couch atop a pile of graded papers.

Who knew fifth graders did so much work?

She groans and rises, slamming the window down. The Pollard boys are at it again, with their fireworks.

One time, the Pollard boys were out there at _6 am _with Roman Candles. Leo had gotten back from a previous deployment the night before (and they had spent most of their first night home out to dinner with Percy, Jason, Piper, and Annabeth. Then Leo and Ruby had returned home to the apartment, where they spent the rest of the night getting tangled up with each other, relearning each other's bodies from such a long time apart.) So when the sounds of popping echoed throughout the apartment, Leo had jerked awake, eyes wide, but then glared at the open window and struggled out from underneath the mess of bed sheets and clothes strewn about and yelled at the boys so thoroughly, Ruby was certain the fourteen year olds would pee their pants.

Ruby had just sighed and burrowed under the blankets; the troublesome neighbor boys had it coming for sure, but she never liked to see Leo angry. He had slammed the window shut in a huff and flopped facedown onto the bed and pulled a groggy Ruby into his side. Within minutes, he had fallen asleep again, and she did too, curled in his arms.

Now, Ruby wishes she could yell at them, but she's not one for yelling. And besides, she has work to do. Today, she has to go find letter number five, and hopefully catch up with the rest of them.

The clue, 'go get a cup.' Coffee. Ruby could use some coffee. And Cassie is the sweet old lady who owns the shop.

Is a three and a half hour drive worth it?

Ruby shifts and papers slide off the couch and litter the floor, crumpled. Hopefully her kids won't mind _too_ much. She didn't drool on any of them, at least. According to Annabeth, Percy drools horribly. Thank god Leo doesn't drool. But he snores. Loudly.

Ruby rubs the sleep out of her eyes and goes to shower and change. She ended up falling asleep on the couch after grading papers, and there's a crick in her neck. She turns her head too quickly when looking for her comb and winces when pain shoots up the side.

Ruby notices exactly how messy the apartment is when she finally emerges, dressed and showered.

She never cleans when Leo's gone. She never cleans, period. Only if the mood strikes her.

The piano is covered with empty tea mugs, sheet music, and pencils. The tea mugs she dumps in the dishwasher, the sheet music and pencils get swept into the piano bench.

Her graded papers are hastily shuffled and slid into her workbag. The kitchen is fine; a bin underneath the counter is where she dumps all her overflow junk.

She tries with their room, putting all the dirty laundry in a basket but doesn't even bother to put away the clean laundry. Hanging things up is always too tedious.

Thing is, it's cleaner with Leo here, actually. He is so particular with his tools and equipment that it carries over to other areas of the apartment. Ruby can't even begin to count the number of spats they've had based on the state of the apartment. He hates it when Ruby complains about being late as she digs through piles of clean laundry for a specific shirt.

_It's easier to find if you actually hang it up_, he'll retort, sick of tripping over piles of shirts flung halfway across the room. _I don't know why you can't do that_.

She'll shrug at him, or stick her tongue out, or if she's in a bad mood, she'll glare and throw a shoe or something in his direction (not meaning it, of course). She's got bad aim, so it never makes contact (which is good). But her point gets across just fine.

Sure, he's messy with plenty of things, claiming his workroom is 'organized chaos' and 'everything has a place in plain sight so I can see it'. His equipment is tenderly used and cleaned, but placed in an _exact_ spot on the floor, and if it moves an inch, he freaks. Ruby doesn't go in there much when he's gone, afraid to mess something up.

She just closes the door to his workroom tight. Leo can deal with his 'organized chaos' when he gets back.

It's almost 9 now, and she sighs and grabs her keys. _Leo owes me for gas money_ she grumbles to herself. As much as she loves her VW Beetle, she's beginning to get sick of driving it to New York and back.

Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Percy are always trying to get her and Leo to move to New York so they can all be close together. Whenever one of them brings it up to Leo, he just shakes his head and says, "Whatever Ruby wants is good enough for me."

Smart guy.

It's not that Ruby doesn't _like_ New York; it's just that it's so… big. So many people, places, dependent on power sources, resources, loud noises… And New Yorkers scare Ruby.

Bostonians scare Ruby slightly less.

She was born and raised in a small town in Illinois, and when it came time for college, she left and didn't look back. She didn't have much to look back at, anyway. Her dad had left her and her mom when Ruby was a baby, and grew up travelling around with her mom's band in a gross van that had orange shag carpeting left over from the seventies.

Ruby still has nightmares about shag carpeting.

Ruby's mom didn't want her to go to college; she wanted her to stay and be part of the band. Her mom was always trying to be the next 'one hit wonder'… but her wonders never became hits.

So when she got a scholarship to Simmons College, it was goodbye tiny-town Illinois and hello Boston.

Besides. Boston is a pretty city. She loves it for the cobblestone streets, the red 'Freedom Trail' bricks in the sidewalks. Sometimes, she and Leo take walks and follow the red brick arrows in the pavement around the city, visiting historical sights that were important in the American Revolution. It's the perfect size, nice and smallish. And it rains, which is Ruby's favorite kind of weather.

And who could resist Boston cream pie?

The accent took a little getting used to, but now she navigates conversations like an old pro. Her mom originally grew up in Georgia (her band was a country music band. What else?), so Ruby was as familiar with the southern accent as she was with the back of her hand.

Sometimes, she slips into it, when she's angry or excited. Or bored.

Leo thinks it's adorable, of course. His accent still has hints of Texas in it, from when he lived there as a child. He'll slip up every once in a while, say 'mundee' instead of 'Monday' and one time, when talking about an incompetent parent he'd met with Ruby at a Parent's Night seminar, he said the man 'don't know his ass from a hole in the ground.'

Ruby likes to tease him, throwing southern sayings around, like 'I'm sweatin' like a sinner in church' or something like that.

Leo finds it funny sometimes. Other times, he just rolls his eyes.

Ruby hops into her purple VW Bug. It's vintage, from 1966 with chrome detail and everything. She had bought it from a family friend when she graduated high school, as a gift to herself for making it out of Small Town, IL. It worked fine, a little troubling, but nothing a mechanic couldn't fix.

When Leo first saw Ruby's car, Ruby thought he was going to start worshipping it. When he saw the state of the engine, however, he threw himself into working on it.

Ruby had told him he didn't need to, but he protested, saying that he wouldn't let such a beautiful car have a horrible inside.

'It has to match _your_ inside,' he had said. 'It has to be beautiful inside too.'

Ruby thought about that now as she turned onto the highway. It had to match her inside. Be beautiful inside. She had blushed when he first said it, and she blushed again now. The rest of her drive to New York is spent lost in thought, wondering what the next letter will be.

**I know, I know, this is too short, but it should tide you over while I actually get off my lazy ass and write the freaking chapter. Stuff is crazy now, with PSATS and school and stuff. I'll work hard on the next chapter I PROMISE THANK YOU ALL FOR STICKING AROUND FOR SO LONG!  
Thanks guys for reading and reviewing! I always appreciate the feedback. You guys are awesome! House points all around! Special thanks to Team Valdez and Luc16 for your kind reviews! They really mean a lot to me. Yeah, I know this update took FOREVER AND I'M SORRY! By the way, if any of you guys read my other story, a one-shot (just some pure, spicy Percabeth, rated M for a reason) thanks for getting it to 3,300 views! **


	6. Chapter 6

When Ruby arrives at the coffee shop, long last, she's ready for some coffee. She makes her way to the counter, where an old woman with snow white hair and clear blue smiles at her. "Hello, Ruby, dear!"

"Hi, Cassie," she hugs the woman across the counter. Cassie owns the shop, The Copper Kettle, and had befriended Leo and Ruby almost instantly the day they first came.

"What can I get you, hon?" Cassie asked. "The usual?"

"Yeah," Ruby said. "I was told to 'go get a cup' and you knew what it meant, so here I am."

Cassie's face lit up. "So you found letter #4! Took you long enough."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Cassie! Have you known about the letters this whole time?"

"Not this whole time, but Leo gave me some specific instructions. Just go sit down, honey, I'll bring it out to you."

Ruby jokingly rolls her eyes and takes a seat in her favorite spot by the window in the big, cushy chair in the corner by the fireplace. The Copper Kettle reminds her of Starbucks, with the fireplace and cushy leather, but it has its own unique charm. Cassie has kettles of all sizes and materials sitting, hanging, and lying, around the shop.

"Here you go," Cassie says, walking to Ruby with her favorite, robins egg blue mug. It could arguably be a bowl with a handle, but Ruby likes it because it can hold so much tea or coffee. "One mint mocha, half of the cup is whipped cream."

Ruby smiles. "Thanks, Cassie."

"Oh, I'm not finished yet," the old woman produces an envelope with _#5_ written on the side. "Enjoy, kiddo." She pauses before walking away. "Let me know what he says!"

"I will!" Ruby rips open the envelope and begins to read. She doesn't need to look at the picture to know it's a photo of the front of the shop.

_Dear Ruby,_

_ You've probably figured out what this letter is about. I thought getting Cassie to help would be a nice touch. Cassie was excited._

_Letter #5 is about the coffee date (if you hadn't figured it out already). _

_Being the incredibly smooth and handsome genius I am, I knew you would love to go here, and it would be more fun than Starbucks. _

She doesn't need the letter to jog her memory. She remembers that day all too well. It been about two weeks since that rainy day with Leo…

_The phone rang. Ruby groaned and stared at it from her place on the couch, willing it to magically fly to her. _

_No dice._

_The phone rang again, urgently. She sighed and threw back her blanket and muted the TV. _

_"Hello?" she said in a monotone. _

_"Ruby! It's Annabeth."_

_"Hi, Annie. What's going on?"_

_"Mmm, nothing much. You?"_

_Even though she knew Annabeth couldn't see her, Ruby gestured to her black pajama pants and t-shirt that featured a graphic of the Cheshire cat, grinning his signature smile. "Watching TV in my comfortable clothes after a week in jeans and blouses."_

_"Come on up for a visit."_

_"Now? It's 9 in the morning."_

_"Get dressed, Ruby. Put on something nice."_

_"Where are we going?"_

_"I'll tell you when you get here."_

_"Do I _have_ to come?" Ruby groaned._

_"Yes. Now hop to! The morning's almost over!" Annabeth hung up._

_Ruby looked longingly at the muted TV screen and sighed. Annabeth would keep calling and calling until Ruby agreed to travel to New York. "You owe me gas money," she glared at the silent phone. "Damn morning people," she muttered, and went to go get changed. _

_Her outfit barely toed the line between 'nice' and 'not trying at all', but she didn't care as she twisted her brown curls up on her head into a bun, not even bothering to brush them. _

_The drive was uneventful. People on the expressway were always crazy, and as she neared New York and left the comfort of Massachusetts, she found she had to keep fighting for the road._

_But she grew up in the Midwest, home to crazy drivers. She knew how to drive like an angry lunatic and avoid road rage fights at the same time._

_Sighing, she pulls into the parking lot and makes her way up to Annabeth's gorgeous apartment._

_"Hello!" she calls, opening the door. _

_"In here!" Annabeth calls._

_"What is so important that you made me drive all the way up here?" Ruby complained, making her way through the apartment. "You owe me gas money! I was comfortable!"_

_"Oh, hush," Annabeth said from the couch. "You were probably melting your brain with an unintelligent TV show. Now, Discovery channel has some fascinating shows that actually benefit your mind-"_

_"Did you make me drive all the way up here to talk about some documentary about the Urdu migration or something? Because if you did, then I'm going-"_

_"No!" Annabeth dragged Ruby to the couch. "We just haven't visited in a long time, you and me and Percy. I thought we could all go out-"_

_"So I could third wheel?" Ruby snorted. "Thanks, but no thanks. Sometimes you guys are too cute and couple-y that my stomach cant take it."_

_Annabeth hesitated. "What if I told you, you wouldn't be third wheeling?"_

_Ruby stared at her friend, confused. "What do you mean- oh. You didn't arrange me a blind date, did you?" she groaned. "Annabeth, you tried this before. You set me up with that Nico guy and that didn't turn out well _at all_."_

_"What was wrong with Nico? You guys hit it off!"_

_Ruby glared at her friend. "We did not! He wouldn't stop talking about his family issues."_

_"Every family has issues, Ruby-"_

_"He kept bringing the conversation back to his dead sister," Ruby said bluntly. "_Both _of them. And when he didn't talk he would just stare at me, or stare off into space and kind of brood-"_

_"But brooding is good, right?"_

_Ruby shook her head. "I don't know how you and Percy get along. You don't have a romantic bone in your body."_

_"I do too!"_

_Ruby leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. "Whatever. But if I'm going on a blind double date with you and Percy, I am going to _kill_ you."_

_"Well, good thing it's not blind then. And it's not a double date, either," said a voice from the kitchen._

_Ruby's eyes shot open and she stared at Annabeth. "Who is that?"_

_Annabeth grinned. Percy walked out from their bedroom just as Leo turned the corner from the kitchen into the living room. Ruby stared, feeling her face redden._

_"Percy and I are going out, at least. We figured that since you both hate third wheeling, we'd bring you both along and then… ditch you?"_

_"You planned this," Ruby hissed to Annabeth._

_She shrugged and whispered back. "Maybe we did." _

_Percy helped her up from the couch and Annabeth grabbed her purse. "Okay, guys, we're going now. Enjoy the day!"_

_Ruby grabbed Annabeth's arm. "Wait!" She whispered. "Don't leave me! I haven't even brushed my hair! I didn't even brush my teeth!"_

_Annabeth wrinkled her nose. "Gross, Ruby."_

_"Well, I _was_ planning on spending the day _alone_ in my _pajamas_ and then _somebody_ tricked me into a blind date!"_

_Annabeth sighed impatiently. "It's not a blind date. You know Leo!" She wrenched her arm from Ruby's grasp. "Now have fun. Percy and I are leaving."_

_The couple left, leaving Ruby alone with Leo._

_"So…" He started._

_Ruby just nodded, unsure of what to say. _

_"How have you been?" Leo awkwardly asked._

_"Good. You?" She answered, then cringed. They were making small talk. She hated small talk._

_"Good."_

_An awkward silence descended upon them._

_"So… where did Percy and Annabeth go?" Ruby asked._

_Leo shrugged. "Who knows? Annabeth probably dragged him to a museum or he talked her into going to an aquarium."_

_Ruby grinned. "Of course Percy would pick the aquarium."_

_Leo nodded enthusiastically. "You'd think he was part fish or something."_

_They stared at each other for a moment. Ruby could feel her face getting redder and redder by the second, but she didn't want to break eye contact. The connection between their eyes was firm, distracting, and above all else, electrifying._

_"Well, Annabeth tricked me into coming down for the day," Ruby said, scrambling for something to talk about._

_"Same here," Leo said. "Percy dragged me along with him, but he didn't tell me what would be happening."_

_Ruby sighed and got up from the couch. "Well, I'm not staying here all day. I'm in New York; might as well see it."_

_"Have you ever toured New York before?"_

_Ruby shook her head. "Too big. Besides, Boston is the only city I've ever felt the need to explore. I only know my way to Annabeth's and the bookstore."_

_Leo was already opening the door for her and ushering her out. "We're going right now. I know just where to take you."_

_They went downstairs. Leo expertly hailed a cab (a near impossible thing to do in _any _city) and they were off._

_They arrived at a small coffee shop in the middle of the city. Not too conspicuous, but it stood out._

_The sign posted to the red bricks of the storefront read 'The Copper Kettle', and it seemed cozy and worn. _

_"This looks like a Starbucks for hipsters," Ruby commented. "Good thing I was a hipster in high school."_

_Leo stared at her incredulously as he led her inside. "You? A hipster?"_

_Ruby nodded. "My mom was in a band, dad wasn't around. Being in a band doesn't really equal good income most of the time. I learned to like thrift stores."_

_Leo said nothing, just stared wonderingly. "What else don't I know about you?"_

_"Buy me a coffee and maybe I'll tell you," Ruby playfully knocked him with her shoulder._

_"If I recall, you owe _me_ the coffee as payment for the Hagrid incident."_

_"Hm, you're right. How about this: you pay for my drink and I'll pay for yours? Would we be even then?"_

_Leo considered it for a moment and nodded. "You got yourself a deal."_

_Once they had ordered and received their drinks, Ruby made a beeline for the two comfy leather chairs that rested in the corner by the window. She liked it here already. The smell of coffee was warm and inviting, and when she sat down, she promptly sunk into the chair. Glancing at the people the behind the counter, she kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs underneath her._

_Leo doubted she would ever move from that spot._

_"This place is great. How did you find it?" Ruby asked, reaching out to touch the decorative ceramic kettle that rested on the coffee table in front of them._

_Leo shrugged. "I was visiting Percy and Annabeth, when I first moved here. I tried to get used to the city by walking around a lot. One day, I found this place."_

_He waved over an old woman from behind the counter. "This is Cassie," he said when she approached. "Cassie, this is Ruby."_

_"Hi, hon!" The woman beamed, friendly green eyes crinkling with laugh lines. Her lined face was friendly and round, and Ruby could tell this woman smiled far more often than she frowned. "Leo, she's just darling."_

_Ruby smiled at Cassie and shook her hand. "Thank you. It's nice to meet you."_

_Cassie beamed pleasantly. "You too, dearie. Leo's told me all about you."_

_Ruby smiled but glanced at Leo out of the corner of her eye. He looked panicked at Cassie, but she neglected to notice his distressed expression. Ruby, however, took much notice._

_"I'm so glad Leo finally came around and got a girl who was decent!" Cassie continued. "He used to go with this Reyna girl, and she was alright, but she was apparently in love with your friend, Jason, so she-"_

_"Thanks, Cassie," Leo cut her off gently. Ruby noticed the tanned skin of his face had flushed a deep red. "I'm sure Ruby doesn't want to hear that…"_

_He made a face at Cassie, and her green eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry, hon! You know when I get on a rant I just go on and on. No filter for this gal!" she sighed. "Well, anyway, it's nice to meet you, Ruby dear, and enjoy your date! He's been planning this for a while!"_

_The old woman swept back towards the front of the shop._

_Ruby looked at Leo and raised an eyebrow, and he just groaned and covered his face with his hands. _

_"You've been planning this for awhile?" she asked._

_"Yeah," He mumbled through his hands. "I just didn't expect Cassie to give you a play by play of my life."_

_Ruby didn't say anything, but as the wheels in her head turned, the events of the day became more and more clear._

_"You got Annabeth to get me to come, didn't you?" Ruby asked._

_Leo nodded sheepishly. "Yeah."_

_"Why?" _

_"Because I wanted to see you again."_

_Ruby merely looked at him curiously. He squirmed unconsciously under her gaze, so unused to being closely scrutinized by the girls he chased. _

_"You do know you could've called me," Ruby took a sip of her tea. _

_Leo shook his head. "I don't have your number, and don't say 'get a phone book', because those things are more useless than a bucket with no bottom."_

_Ruby burst out laughing. Other patrons in the shop turned to peer at her, some curious, others irritated, but Ruby didn't care. "Let me guess, you're from the south?" she asked between cackles._

_"Yeah, how'd you know?" Leo asked, confused as to why she was laughing._

_"That's such a southern expression! My mom was from the south, she said stuff like that all the time!" Ruby's laughs quieted into giggles. "No one I know says that! Let alone anyone in New York!"_

_Leo pretended to be offended. "I'll have you know, I'm from the great state of Texas, and it's a very common saying there!"_

_"Oh, I'm sure it is," Ruby assured him, swallowing her laughs with gulps of tea, "but it was just funny to hear it in New York."_

_"You said your mom was from the south. Where?" Leo asked. _

_"Georgia," Ruby said, pronouncing it like 'Geowww-juh'. "Home of the peaches."_

_"And you? Are you from there too?" _

_Ruby shook her head. "Nope. I was born in Illinois, and my mom traveled around with her band and me until I was eighteen. Then I went to Boston and I haven't been back since."_

_"What about your mom?"_

_Ruby shifted uncomfortably. "She wasn't the greatest. She taught me everything I know about music, though."_

_"Ah. I wondered where you got to be so good."_

_Ruby blushed. "What about you? Who taught you to be a genius with tools?"_

_Leo smiles fondly, but his eyes grow a tad glassy. "_My_ mom, too. She was a mechanic, but died in a fire when I was young. I don't really remember my dad. He died in a car crash when I was a baby."_

_Ruby widened her eyes. She may have broken free from her parents and felt completely set apart, but at least her parents were still alive, despite her hesitance to contact them._

_"Wow. I'm sorry," she said after a moment. _

_Leo shrugged it off. "It's alright."_

_They sat there awkwardly._

_"Well, this has to be the most awkward date I've ever been on," Leo commented. "Nothing like making conversation about your estranged parents."_

_Ruby laughed, relieved that the awkward tension had dispersed. "No, trust me this isn't bad. One time, I was on a date with this guy and he started asking if I didn't mind if his mom lived with us when we got married."_

_Leo's eyes bugged out. "The hell?"_

_"It was a blind first date, so shame on me for agreeing to go on it, but still!" Ruby sipped her drink. "So compared to that, this date is going quite well."_

_"You think so?" Leo smiled._

_"Yeah." Ruby smiled back at him._

_They sat like that for a moment, just smiling at each other._

_"Is it going well enough for me to ask for a third date?" Leo asked._

_Ruby tilted her head. "Third? This isn't our second date!"_

_"It is. You agreed to come to my apartment and we watched Dr. Who."_

_"That doesn't constitute a date," Ruby replied. "It was two friends, hanging out."_

_"Maybe _I _thought it was a date," Leo grinned. "Because it certainly felt like one to me. And besides, I had asked you out anyway, and we had to cancel 'cause of the rain. By default, that was our first."_

_Ruby rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Fine. Fine. This is our second date then."_

_"You didn't answer my question," Leo said. "Is that a yes or a no to a third one?"_

_Ruby shrugged. "I think it's safe to say that my answer's yes. But we gotta do something fun."_

_"This isn't fun?" Leo couldn't help but look slightly crestfallen._

_"Oh no, that's not what I meant! This is great!" Ruby hurriedly explained. "But a third date calls for something more than sitting and making horribly awkward small talk."_

_"Like what?"_

_"Hm, I don't know." Ruby grabbed a napkin and wrote down her number. "But if you think of something, call me."_

_Leo grinned and carefully tucked the napkin away into a pocket. "Watching Doctor Who doesn't count?"_

_"Not this time."_

_He thought for a moment. "What if we dragged Percy and Annabeth with us? They're sort of responsible for us meeting anyway."_

_Ruby nodded. "Sounds like a plan."_

_They fell into another silence again, but this one was more companionable than the first._

_"So… tell me about yourself," Leo asked. _

_Ruby rolled her eyes. "Not that much to tell. Grew up in a small town in IL, was forced to be in my mom's band until I graduated high school and moved to Boston for college. I'm a fifth grade teacher. I play piano, ukulele, and guitar. I like to sing and read and write. What else is there?"_

_"Favorite food? Dog or cat? Biggest fear? What are your thoughts on veganism?"_

_Ruby stared at him. "Veganism?"_

_"It's a very serous question. If you don't like cheeseburgers, then I don't think this is gonna work out," Leo joked._

_"Well, good think I _love_ cheeseburgers," Ruby sat back in her chair. "But that's not my favorite food. That would have to be grilled cheese. Dog or cat? Both. Biggest fear?" She thought for a moment. "I'm terrified of hospitals. I hate the smell, the way they're so… white…" she shuddered. "Anyway. Your turn."_

_"Well, I do like cheeseburgers but my favorite food would have to be my abuela's gazpacho. I would visit her when my mom was still alive. She made the best gazpacho." Leo smiled to himself. "I like dogs _and_ cats too. Biggest fear?" He sobered. "Dying or having someone I know die in a car crash."_

_Ruby nodded. "Okay, my turn. Favorite holiday? Movie? Song? Book?"_

_"My questions were creative. Yours are so generic," Leo complained, but he smiled._

_"Yours were as generic as mine!" Ruby retorted._

_And that's how the date played out. They stayed until closing time. Cassie had observed them from the counter, smiling to herself. She thought of Leo as a son, and was happy he had finally found someone who understood him as well as she did._

_Percy and Annabeth came back to the apartment and found it empty with a note saying 'went into the city for the day', and smiled to each other, glad their friends had finally connected._

Now, Cassie watches the woman read the letter and smiles to herself again, happy to see that Leo had found love with someone as caring and genuine as Ruby. She saw they had clicked instantly, their thoughts falling in sync almost immediately. When they had first come to the coffee shop, she was surprised it was their second date. She was under the impression they had been together for a very, very long time, for that is usually how long it takes, to learn someone's ways and habits, to see the subtle shifts in thoughts and emotions and expressions, but they had caught on to each other almost immediately.

Ruby looks up and looks around the café and smiles to herself before reading the letter again.

Cassie wants to know what is says, but now she knows it was never for her eyes. Some things are meant to be private.

Ruby finally stands and folds the letter, and brings her empty cup to Cassie. "Thank you, Cassie," she says. She doesn't say what Leo wrote, but Cassie understands. She nods and sends her on her way.

Ruby gets back in the car, ready to head back to Boston, but first she pauses and looks around the interior of her car. She sees a little white corner poking out from her glove box. She hadn't noticed that before.

Sure enough, when she takes it out, a #6 is written on it.

**AND THAT IS ALL I THINK I CAN DO TONIGHT. Because I have to do my US History homework and English homework. Blech.  
I don't really ship Leyna, but I needed a girl to name, so I picked Reyna (mostly because Leylypso is adorable and I ship it so hard. If you read House of Hades then you'll understand). **

**Thanks to ForeverAMaiden, Cel, Bookworm, Luc16, and Reesea for the kind reviews! They always help! I'm trying to write as I go. I'm working on it! This story is really turning into a bunch of my head canons and scenarios in my head and I'm trying to fit a plot to it! It will come together, though. Eventually. Thanks for sticking it out this far with me! Ugh writers block is horrible. I'm thinking of switching it up. I can't write out every single letter. I'm too lazy for that. I'll be highlighting the best few, I think, but have no fear, because there will still be ****_lots_**** of memories and flashbacks!  
Hmm maybe I should write like 3 chapters at a time, post one a week? **

**But… Laziness.  
Anyways. THANK YOU ALL! **


	7. Chapter 7

The letter is about the VW Bug, with the picture to match. Ruby drives home, smiling fondly at the memory the letter had dredged up, the time Leo wanted to fix her car for her.

_ "Hey, babe!" He kissed her on the cheek. They were at Annabeth's, getting ready to leave for their 'third' date with Annabeth and Percy. After that second date, things had started to fall together, both of them becoming surer of the other. "How's it going?"_

_"Terribly. My car keeps freaking out." Ruby sighed and flopped down on the couch. "I just barely got here without it breaking down on the highway."_

_"I could take a look at it," Leo was already making his way to the door._

_"No, no, it's fine," Ruby began, but he was already heading down to the street outside._

_He stopped and whistled when he saw her car. She had parallel parked very clumsily. "Wow."_

_"Yeah. I bought it from my neighbor just before I moved out here. Kind of a 'congratulations for getting out of the Midwest' present," Ruby said._

_"Nice parking job," Leo commented, stepping around the car, taking in the purple paint and chrome detail._

_"Hey, points for creativity, right?" _

_"Not in this car. You don't want anyone to ding it while backing out. Now let's see what's up underneath the hood." Leo lifted the hood and stared into the engine. He unbuckled his tool belt from around his waist._

_"You always have that thing. Where's it from?" Ruby asked._

_He patted it lovingly. "It was my mom's." (__**A/N: I know, I know. He found it in Bunker 9 in the book, but this is an AU, so bear with me! ;P**__)_

_Leo looked closer at the engine and started fiddling with some things inside._

_"Do you know what's wrong with my car?" Ruby asked._

_"The muffler seems to be plugged up with something…" he mumbled, bent over. "I think the engine's overheating because of that."_

_Ruby stared. "Um, yeah. I don't speak car."_

_He laughed. "The rubber extender tube, which deals with exhaust flow is restricting the flow. I can fix that for you no problem."_

_"You don't have to-" Ruby started._

_"Not a problem!" Leo cut her off. "I got it. Don't worry about it. I have a spare here somewhere in this belt…"_

_In no time, Leo had changed the tube and slammed the hood down, patting it appreciatively. "Try turning on the engine now."_

_Ruby got in and started engine, and the engine purred. It sounded _much_ better than the distressed clunking it had been making earlier._

_"Much better!" Leo grinned appreciatively. _

_"Thank you!" Ruby hopped out of the car and hugged him. "This car is like my baby."_

_"Couldn't have such a beautiful girl have a beautiful car that didn't run well," Leo pulled back and cupped her cheek. Privately, he marveled at how smooth her skin was._

_Ruby blushed. _

_"Are you two done?" Percy asked from the sidewalk, jerking them back to reality. _

_Annabeth stood beside him. "Where are you two taking us?"_

_Leo and Ruby grinned at each other. "It's a surprise," Ruby said._

_Leo had called her earlier that week, wanting to set up a third date, and they agreed to drag along Percy and Annabeth. They decided on something that both Percy _and _Annabeth would like (not an easy task, because Percy and Annabeth were already like day and night and it was rare if they agreed on anything). Originally, the plan was to pick something they would both _dis_like, but after googling 'worst date ideas' for an hour, Ruby gave up and she and Leo decided on keeping everyone happy and entertained. There was always time for revenge later._

_They had decided on starting with dinner, and then finishing the night with a comedy club. _

_They all got in a taxi and arrived at the restaurant, where they were seated and ordered their drinks._

_"This place has a karaoke bar! Surprise!" Ruby grinned._

_Annabeth groaned. "Oh, no."_

_Percy nudged her with his shoulder. "Come on, Annabeth. It's fun!"_

_She shook her head. "I don't sing."_

_"Neither do I!" Leo cried. "But we agreed to it, so deal with it."_

_"I'm not singing." Annabeth folded her arms and glared at Ruby. _

_Ruby rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. How about we make a bet?"_

_"What kind of bet?"_

_"Whoever sings _best_ buys dinner, whoever sings the _worst_ buys dessert."_

_Percy cackled. "Looks like _you're_ going to be buying us dinner, Ruby!"_

_"And I think you'll be buying dessert, Percy," Ruby retorted._

_Leo laughed and slapped his friend on the back. "Burn, man!"_

_"Who wants to go first?" Ruby asked._

_"You. I'm not going if you're going after me," Annabeth said. _

_"Yeah, Ruby. I'm hungry. Just get us dinner already!" Percy teased._

_"Fine!" Ruby stood up and made her way to the empty stage._

_The DJ smiled at her and boomed into his microphone. "We have the first singer! What would you like to sing, darlin'?"_

_"Dream A Little Dream Of Me," Ruby replied. _

_The DJ rolled the background music._

**_"_****Stars shining bright above you**

**Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"**

**Birds singing in the sycamore trees**

**Dream a little dream of me**

**Say nighty-night and kiss me**

**Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me**

**While I'm alone and blue as can be**

**Dream a little dream of me**

**Stars fading but I linger on dear**

**Still craving your kiss**

**I'm longing to linger till dawn dear**

**Just saying this**

**Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you**

**Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you**

**But in your dreams whatever they be**

**Dream a little dream of me**

**Stars fading but I linger on dear**

**Still craving your kiss**

**I'm longing to linger till dawn dear**

**Just saying this**

**Sweet dreams, till sunbeams find you**

**Gotta keep dreaming leave all worries behind you**

**But in your dreams whatever they be**

**You gotta make me a promise, promise to me**

**You'll dream, dream a little of me**"

_The room was silent when Ruby finished, then burst into thunderous applause. Leo whistled. "Yeah, Ruby!"_

_The DJ took the mic from her. "That was fantastic! Just for that, your whole table gets a free dinner, on the house!"_

_Annabeth stared, aghast and Percy started laughing. _

_Ruby thanked him and went back to her table. _

_"Great job!" Leo wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on the cheek._

_"I don't believe it," Percy gasped between peals of laughter. "Ruby got us all dinner! For free!"_

_"No way am I singing after that, "Annabeth complained. "That's like submitting art to an art show and realizing that Picasso is going to be having an exhibition there."_

_"Does it matter?" Ruby shook her head at her friend. "Half these people can't sing either! That's what makes it fun!"_

_"Yeah, let's sing one!" Percy said to his girlfriend._

_She shook her head. "No way!"_

_But Percy had already grabbed hold of her hand and was tugging her towards the stage._

_"This will be good," Leo snickered to Ruby._

_When the music started up, Leo and Ruby both started laughing, loud peals of laughter. Percy and Annabeth were singing Don't Go Breaking My Heart._

_Percy flicked them off from onstage, but that only made them laugh harder. _

_"__**Don't go breaking my heart**__," Percy started, grabbing her hand and twirling her._

_Annabeth sighed and rolled her eyes, but Ruby could see the blonde girl couldn't suppress a smile. "__**I couldn't if I tried."**_

**_"Honey, if I get restless,"_**

**_"Baby, you're not that kind." _**_Annabeth smiled at Percy as he started dancing with her as they sang._

**_"Don't go breaking my heart," _**_he sang._

**_"You take the weight off of me,"_**

**_"Honey, when you knocked on my door,"_**_ Percy sang as he spun Annabeth out, and pulled her back in._

**_"I gave you my key,"_**

_They weren't amazing, but they were decent. Percy's voice cracked in a few places, which set off another round of laughter on Leo's part. Annabeth was slightly off key, but like Ruby said, nobody really cared._

_When they finished, everyone clapped and they returned to their seats. Dinner had been served._

_"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Annabeth admitted. _

_"See? Nobody died," Ruby took a sip of her drink._

_"Except for my eardrums," Leo chuckled. "Nice notes, Percy. What key were you singing in? 'Cause that didn't even _sound _like the song."_

_"The key of awesome," Percy said, reaching across the table to smack Leo in the head. _

_"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that when Ruby and I decide what dessert _you're_ going to be buying."_

_"Do you want to sing one?" Ruby asked Leo._

_He shook his head. "Lo siento, but I don't think so."_

_"No copping out!" Percy cried. "If I'm fucking buying you guys dessert, you have to at least _work_ for it!"_

_"Percy and I may just have to dine and dash," Annabeth snickered. _

_"Come on! It will be fun!" Ruby grabbed his hand and towed him to the stage._

_The DJ smiled. "And she's back, folks! With a duet partner! What'll it be?"_

_"Summer Nights!" Ruby smiled and shoved a microphone into Leo's hand._

_"You know, if I sing worse than _they_ did, _we'll_ be the ones buying." Leo murmured to her while the DJ cued up the music._

_"Oh, don't worry. You have me," Ruby winked. "Get ready, 'cause you solo first?"_

_"Solo?"_

_But he couldn't say anything else, because it was his turn to start singing. "__**Summer lovin', had me blast…"**_

**_"Summer lovin, happened so fast!" _**_Ruby nodded at Leo encouragingly._

**_"Met a girl, crazy for me," _**

**_"Met a boy, cute as can be!"_**

**_"Summer days, drifting away, to uh oh those summer nights," _**_They sang in unison._

_Leo was worse than Percy, but Ruby didn't care. She just laughed when he started getting into it (it was better than watching John Travolta)._

**_"Well-a, well-a, well-a, tell me more, tell me more, did you get very far?"_**

**_"Tell me more, tell me more, like does he have a car?"_**

**_"She swam by me, she got a cramp,"_**

**_"He ran by me, got my suit damp," _**_Ruby made a face playfully at Leo, and the audience laughed._

**_"Saved her life, she nearly drowned," _**_Leo draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight into his side._

**_"He showed off, splashing around!"_**

_When they finished singing, everyone applauded._

_"I believe you owe us dessert," Leo said when they sat down, scanning the menu. "What do you want, Ruby? Chocolate cake?"_

_"Yes, yes I do." _

_An old man went up and totally killed Bohemian Rhapsody. Everyone was clapping and cheering when he finished._

_"Okay, man," the DJ said. "I know I already gave away dinner to the lovely lady and her table earlier, but I think we can give you dessert!"_

_Everyone applauded._

_"Did you see his tattoo?" Annabeth asked._

_"What tattoo?" Percy craned his neck._

_"On his wrist. It's a guitar with a snake for a neck and the snake's spitting fire."_

_Ruby nodded in approval. "Just when I thought he couldn't get any more badass."_

_"Tattoos are badass, huh?" Leo pretended to think, stroking his chin. "Maybe I'll get one."_

_"Oh, really?" Ruby laughed. "What kind of tattoo?"_

_"A flying dragon, made of metal." (_**A/N: Can you guess who it is? Our favorite animatron, Festus the dragon!)**

_"Yup, that's badass." Ruby nodded. "You know, I have a tattoo."_

_"Really? Where?" Leo began looking her up and down._

_She smiled coyly. "Not telling."_

_"Are you two done flirting like sixteen year olds from a terribly written romance novel so we can actually _eat_ the dessert you order?" Annabeth asked._

_Ruby stuck her tongue out at her friend, but she and Leo ceased flirting and the four friends finished the meal._

_"I guess we don't need to plan a revenge date later," Ruby whispered to Leo as they left for the comedy club. "I think we got revenge."_

_Leo laughed and nodded. "But I think we need to plan another date anyway."_

…

Ruby arrives home and tosses her keys on the counter and tucks the letter away in the box she's been accumulating them in. She wants to do something with them, frame them somehow.

She knows how.

She digs a scrapbook out of the closet, where she puts all her abandoned projects. Each letter goes on a page, she decides, along with the photo it came with.

She has to find 3 more letters, and then she'll be all caught up, and she finds them easily. One in a box of her favorite cereal, one slid inside the cover of her favorite book, the one he had bought her that first day, and the last one taped to the back of the TV. There, now she's all caught up.

And that's how she spends her Sunday.

The cereal box letter has a picture of the front of the place they had gone to breakfast for their next date. That was the date where she learned Leo didn't like strawberries but _loved_ banana pancakes. He was equally amazed to find out that she preferred waffles completely to everything else on the menu, except when the menu had red velvet French toast. If that was the case, then she'd keep ordering it until it went out of season (it was only around for the fall/winter seasons).

The letter inside her book comes with a candid shot of Ruby and Leo, browsing. Leo had come up and slipped his hand into hers, and she turned to look at him. In the letter, Leo described how he had gotten Frank to take it.

He had been shocked at first, at the roughness of her fingertips on her left hand. He had taken her left hand when walking up beside her, rubbing his thumb across the calluses on the fingertips of her index, middle, and ring fingers. "Where are these from?" he had asked.

"Playing guitar. Pressing strings to play chords all day really toughens the fingers." She answered.

That became a habit of his, whenever her held her hand now. If it's her left hand, he strokes the calluses, rubbing his thumb across them in little circles.

The last letter, the one from the TV, has a picture of Ruby, asleep on the couch at his apartment.

That was the day they had had their first kiss.

She scans the letter.

_Ruby,_

_I never thought I would fall for you. I usually went after the girls who wore too much makeup and laughed to hard at my shitty jokes (that even _I_ knew were shitty) or the tan, exotic girls who dropped me at the first chance they got._

_None of them compare to you, of course._

_I love you, dear. _

Ruby chuckles at that.

_You were different from all the other girls, and a drastic change Reyna. _

_Where Reyna was sarcastic, you were funny. She was tan, dark eyes, dark hair, but you've got flawless pale skin, starry eyes, and light hair._

_(I'm sorry if that part sucked. I asked Percy and Jason for help and I think they're messing with me). But it's all true. Every word._

_Thank you, by the way. For not making me feel second rate. _

_-Leo_

_P.S., I love you_

Ruby sits back and smiles, carefully pasting that letter into the scrapbook with the picture. She had gone over to hang out for the day (if adults even called it 'hanging out', because that was a very teenager phrase) and in the middle of the show they were watching, he leaned over and kissed her.

Just like that.

No warning, nothing.

She was surprised at first, of course, but found she melted into it, and when he pulled her into his lap, she never wanted to leave.

And now, she gets an intense wave of missing him. _Four more days, _she tells herself. _Four days and then I can hear his voice again_.

It's late now, and she has to go to work tomorrow. She's glad though, that she's all caught up now. She can wait for tomorrow for the next letter.

**I'm telling all of you now, I know absolutely NOTHING about cars. The whole muffler bit was courtesy of Google and who doesn't love songs? I googled those too. Summer Nights from Grease, Don't Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John, and Dream a Little Dream of Me by Ella Fitzgerald (or Mama Cass. She covered it. When I wrote Ruby's part about singing it, that was the kind of style I had in mind). I hope the song parts weren't too cheesy or anything. Phew this chapter is long but I liked it! How was the dialogue? Yay? Nay? And my use of adjectives to describe their laughs/smiles… I keep reusing words, and I don't like to do that. And of course, any feedback you guys give, any reviews, even a 'great job' helps me write faster and makes me work harder! Thank you guys so much! Until next chapter!**


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